A new era
by ingus
Summary: What happened after the Hogwarts Express left platform nine and three quarters for the last time in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"? Albus and Rose are ready to start their adventure at Hogwarts, wonder what might happen to them?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Hogwarts Express was rolling out of platform nine and three quarters. Parents were waving goodbye, but just a few children bothered to wave back. Onboard the train was probably the liveliest group of students Hogwarts had ever experienced. So much noise and excitement could only be compared to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup. However, in the last carriage two nervous 11 year olds were sitting in silence, both in deep thoughts. Which house would the Sorting Hat put them in, would they suffer from home sickness and would they make any friends? These thoughts absorbed their mind, and if James hadn't fallen through the half open door midway between London and Hogwarts, they would probably not have said a single word to each other for the whole journey. "What are you two staring at? Never seen someone take a pirouette through a door before?" said James Potter with the most arrogant and confident voice he could manage. When the silence continued he added "I bet you're so scared of ending up in Slytherin that you can't even speak" and with that sentence he was gone. "Is that true, Albus? Do you really think you'll end up in Slytherin?" asked Rose. "Well, there is a possibility I might. The same goes for you, you know" Albus replied silently not keeping eye contact. "I'm quite certain I'll end up in Gryffindor, everyone in my family has been there" answered Rose. "You'll probably end up in Gryffindor as well" she hastily added with a reassuring voice. But inside Albus Potter's mind something told him she wasn't right. Rose and Albus were cousins, but could as well have been sister and brother. Not that they looked anything alike, but they were inseparable. Going to Hogwarts could be a continuation of their close bonds, but it could also be where their lives separated for good. Spending much of their childhood together they knew each other in and out. Albus was of the thoughtful and quiet type and Rose the total opposite. In some way they fulfilled each other perfectly. As the sunset turned the sky red, the Hogwarts Express continued its journey due north. Inside the conversations had shifted from "how was your summer?" to "I'm so hungry I bet I could eat an entire hippogriff!" Finally the train came to a halt, and suddenly the once so peaceful Hogsmead station was packed with children dressed in black robes. "1st years this way, just follow me!" shouted a tall, skinny man. Rose and Albus stumbled their way across the station and joined the group of 1st year students. As in a trance they were guided down to the boats waiting to ship them across the Great Lake. "Please, make sure to stay in the boats at all times during the journey" said the tall man. A couple of boys murmured to each other "where else could we be?". As an answer to that the tall man continued. "Last year a girl almost lost her leg to the Giant Squid. Luckily, and just in time, the Giant Squid got confused and thought she was a loaf of bread, which I'm sure it remembers it can't digest." With those calming words in mind, Rose and Albus' boat made its way across the lake, the home to creatures still unknown to the fresh students. They knew what was to come, but for just a bit longer they could breathe in the cold air and be dazzled by the glow of the castle. They were all still just 1st year students without a label telling everyone where they belonged and who they truly were.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

This evening the ceiling was jet black, dotted with bright shining stars. Headmistress Sophia Novellus had just welcomed all of the students back after the summer holidays, with the hopes of another excellent academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The tension in the room was electric, as everybody knew what was about to come. The Sorting Hat was as filthy and old as ever, and it was hard to imagine that it had once been new. As always, the ceremony started with the Sorting Hat's song:

Again I have to split you up

In houses you shall be

For long ago four people said

"let's divide and we'll see"

If you got nerves of steel

And you are willing to risk

Gryffindor can be the house

that might suite you best

But if your ambitions are high

And you want to be great

Slytherin guides you all the way

For those of you

with knowledge and wit

your soul belongs to Ravenclaw

and then for the loyal

who work really hard

Hufflepuff will lay close to heart

So now it's time, let's find out

Where you all belong

But remember who

You're true friends are

And do not split apart

For times might come

When we start to confuse

then your mind should come to great use

Everyone in the Great Hall applauded and the list of names was rolled out. Edbert Aldwyn was the first to be called, and it didn't take long before the Sorting hat shouted "Ravenclaw!" and so it continued. Among the names were Carreen Hexagon, who ended up in Hufflepuff, and Levina Kent who was chosen to Gryffindor. The next to put the Sorting Hat on was Scorpius Malfoy. He looked like a white rat, with the hair neatly combed backwards so that not a single strand of hair was in disorder. Albus had heard a lot about the Malfoys and how they managed to avoid Azkaban after the Second Wizarding War. Especially Albus' uncle Ron was always complaining about it, however his own father had a more peaceful relationship to the Malfoys. When the hat sorted Scorpius into Slytherin, no one was surprised. His whole family had been in Slytherin for generations and another house was unthinkable. "Potter, Albus Severus!" the professor with the list continued. The whole room fell silent at once. Everyone knew who Albus' father was and what he had done, so the outcome of this particular selection was of everyone's interest. Walking up to the stool was like trying to swim through a sea of syrup. After something that felt like hours he managed to reach the hat and place it on top of his head. In the darkness of the inside of the Sorting Hat he could hear a low whispering voice that belonged to the hat itself. "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Your head has been of my interest since your dad put me on 26 years ago. Of course I had some fun a year ago with your brother, but his mind wasn't very complex and Gryffindor was an easy decision. You however, are much more like your father. I can sense that you are daring and ambitious, and you have the ability of achieving something great one day. I'm not sure if you know what I told your dad when he was in your position all these years ago." Of course he remembered what his dad told him at the platform earlier this morning. That he almost ended up in Slytherin, but that the hat let him choose Gryffindor. "This time the decision is equally difficult, both Slytherin and Gryffindor would be great." Albus' heart was pounding so hard he thought it might jump out of his chest. "Last time I didn't make the final decision, and now I'm not sure what to do." The hat kept talking to itself, discussing the different options. How long he had been sitting with the Sorting Hat on, Albus Potter did not know. But eventually a loud voice echoed through his head. His heart stopped.


End file.
